No major impact of nationwide strike call in Gujarat; services remain unaffected

The nationwide strike call given by central trade unions on Thursday against the Centre's labour reforms and economic policies had little impact in Gujarat, with most services and commercial establishments functioning as usual across the state, officials said. Trade union representatives in Gujarat held demonstrations at a few places, while some employees of public sector banks remained away from work. However, all other things were functioning normally, officials said. The 'Bharat Bandh' has been called by a joint forum of central trade unions to protest against recent labour reforms and what they described as policies weakening workers' protections and rights. Normal life remained largely unaffected in major cities, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot. Markets, shops, industrial units and educational institutions operated without disruption, while public transport services and autorickshaws ran without any problem. ''There are no reports of any disruption in Gujarat due to the bandh call. Commercial activities are continuing as usual, and law and order is under control. There is no significant impact of the bandh in the state,'' said an official from the state police control room. State government and private offices, schools, colleges, commercial establishments, industries and even public sector banks reported regular attendance, officials said. Private banks and financial institutions also functioned normally. In Ahmedabad and Surat, major markets, diamond polishing and trading units, as well as textile markets, saw regular business activity. ''The strike has been called by national trade unions, and diamond workers are not affiliated with them. Also, the four new labour codes introduced by the Centre are actually beneficial for our diamond industry. Overall, there is no impact of the strike in Surat,'' said Bhavesh Tank, vice president of the Diamond Workers Union, Gujarat. President of the Federation of Surat Trade and Textile Associations Kailash Hakim also confirmed that traders are operating normally and the bandh has had no impact. Factory operations in industrial estates in the state were reported to be normal, industry representatives said. ''All factories in Gujarat are working normally as workers have not joined the strike. There is no impact of the strike on the industrial sector in Gujarat,'' said industrialist and former president of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Natubhai Patel. Public transport services operated smoothly, with state-run GSRTC buses plying on their routes without interruption. Metro services in Ahmedabad also ran as per schedule. While some trade union members staged symbolic protests and demonstrations in Ahmedabad and Vadodara, there were no reports of forced closures or major incidents. Though some public sector bank employees affiliated with central trade unions stayed away from work, there was no impact on the banks' day-to-day operations, said Ashish Madhu, general secretary of Bank of Baroda's Employee Union. ''Though some bank employees have joined the strike, it left no major impact on routine operations. As per my knowledge, all the branches of PSU (public sector undertaking) banks in the state are functioning today,'' said Madhu. Ashish Zaveri of Ahmedabad Vepari Mahajan also confirmed that there was no impact of the strike on markets and other commercial establishments in the city, as workers and employees have already joined their work.